Are You Already Losing The War Against the Saints?

When the flesh hears about the war against the saints, it imagines it full blown at a point that is too late for the victory. The Holy Spirit sees the war against the saints much differently than your mind, emotions, and logic do. You need to get the Spirit's vision if you want victory in the war.

If you hear about the war against the saints and are bracing for murder, theft, crucifixion, etc... That is your flesh trying to deal with what the earth has seen in the past. That is fear, not faith.

The war against the saints is like the war against Jesus.

This is how Satan fought Jesus:

Luke 4:1-13 NKJV — Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. “Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. “For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’ “and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Is this the war you are winning right now?

1. Not doing what you can, but instead doing only what God says, to increase His kingdom.

2. Not compromising truth to win the world to the kingdom. Not finding the most expedient route, and instead setting your vision for the most OBEDIENT route to victory.

3. Resisting the urge to communicate how well you know God and instead settling into a vision of intimacy with God being all that matters (the heart of David and Jesus).

Satan didn't want Jesus to go to the cross:

Matthew 16:21-27 NKJV — From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Satan eventually lost the war and Jesus got the cross that was the FATHER'S will for him! Yes, Satan led Judas to betray Jesus, but the cross was the Father's will... Satan complying was the ultimate defeat of Satan!

1 Corinthians 2:7-10 NKJV — But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Jesus calls His own to a cross. Satan's greatest defeat is that you would learn to embrace one, not in pride and the strength of your own flesh, but in meekness filled with a vision from God.

Satan didn't want Jesus getting a cross, and he doesn't want you to get a cross either.

He wants you afraid of it, though. Satan wants you ashamed, self defending, fearful of looking wrong, prideful to the point of wrongfully assessing your faith and strength, impatiently trying to do good for God... That is how you lose the war.

Satan will eventually have to comply with very few actually winning this war against him. Very few will find this narrow road. Most will be on the wide road to destruction of trying to save their lives rather than trying to lose them.

Right now the war is being waged at you: the cares of this life, carousing for greatness, drunk with comfort...

Luke 21:34-36 NKJV — “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. “For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Are you winning the war against the saints, or are you forfeiting all the vision, wisdom, and strength that really gets people the cross Jesus wants them to have? Winning the war = learning the Spirit leadership. This happens in prayer...

Picture all those first disciples unequipped as they entered the upper room in Acts 2, and walking out fully equipped when the Spirit was poured out... This is the purpose of night and day prayer. Night and day prayer puts you in the safe place for the war. The first disciples would have destroyed themselves trying to do the great commission without the upper room. They were competitive, afraid, unanointed... They were losing the war against the saints before it even started and so are you if you haven't repented and yielded yourself into the Spirit-led place of victory.

Jesus won against Satan in Luke 4 BECAUSE He had been in the desert fasting and praying, not despite it!!!

Are you losing the war for your soul and still fearing a war against your body, which would certainly be resurrected if you participated in the war for your soul?

Matthew 10:27-34 NKJV — “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

The flesh will always lose the war against the saints. You must get into the Spirit to even see the kingdom, let alone find victory in the war against it.

Maranatha! Even so come!